Urine retention Dr Rob Hicks There are two types – acute and chronic.

In this article

What is urine retention? Symptoms

Causes and risk factors Treatment and recovery

In acute urine retention, the bladder fills up and you feel the need to pass urine, but can't. The build up of urine causes great pain and a swollen abdomen.

In chronic retention, it's possible to pass very small quantities of urine, but this is difficult and the bladder never completely empties. Over time, urine collects in the bladder. This form is usually painless.

In acute urine retention, the symptoms develop very quickly and may include:

• Lower abdominal pain
• Lower abdominal 'fullness'
• A painful urge to pass urine but the inability to do so

Chronic urine retention may feel uncomfortable but isn't usually painful. Over time, the following symptoms may develop:

• Abdominal swelling
• Frequent sensation of wanting to pass urine
• Difficulty in starting to pass urine
• Weak flow of urine
• Dribbling at the end of passing urine and between times of passing urine

Urine retention is caused by anything that prevents the normal flow of urine from the bladder through the urethra (the tube through which urine passes from the bladder out of the body).

It may be a stone that, by acting like a bath plug, prevents urine from leaving the bladder, or retention may be a side-effect of medication being taken for another medical problem.

Nerve damage that arises as a result of a complication of conditions such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis may mean the nerves that control bladder performance function poorly or not at all.

In men, the most common cause is enlargement of the prostate gland which is usually benign, but prostate cancer can also cause urine retention. This causes pressure on the urethra and a reduction in urine flow, in the same way that putting a kink in a hosepipe reduces the flow of water.

In women prolapse of the uterus or sagging of the vaginal wall and bladder may cause retention.

Other obstructions include a narrowing of the urethra, which may arise because of infection or inflammation, or a tightening of the foreskin, called phimosis.

Constipation may also restrict the flow of urine because faeces in the rectum press on the urethra.

Relief of urine retention is gained by inserting a catheter into the bladder to allow it to empty.

It's important to establish what was responsible for the problem and to treat this so the problem doesn't recur. This may involve tests on the bladder - for example, intravenous urography or cystoscopy - to identify a cause such as bladder stones. Other tests examine the urine and measure its flow.

Treatment will depend on the cause, but if the problem isn't treatable, it may be necessary for intermittent catheterisation to be performed or a permanent catheter to be left in place to ensure the bladder is emptied regularly.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Gill Jenkins in April 2009.